Recruitment and Placement Solutions

“Dedicated, innovative, compassionate.” That’s how colleagues at PRIDE Industries describe former job coach and current Director of Rehabilitation Tameka Rich. And it’s these qualities that make her such an outstanding leader.

Tameka began her journey at PRIDE Industries in 2007 as a coach, working to ensure the success and independence of employees with disabilities. In that role, she provided on-the-job support to employees, helping them perform tasks and meet customer and contract requirements. She also ensured that employees with disabilities had the accommodations they needed to do their jobs well.

As someone with a disability herself, Tameka felt a personal connection to the role. It provided her the opportunity to help others with disabilities find and sustain meaningful employment. Her work as a job coach not only allowed her to grow professionally but also made a lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of individuals.

“Knowing our voices belong moves us to overcome challenges and realize the possibilities of what we can achieve.”

 “I’ve always enjoyed making things work more efficiently,” she says. “When I got my dream job—helping people with disabilities succeed in employment—I decided to make everything run as smoothly as possible for the people I was helping.”

A Growing Career in Advocacy

Tameka’s natural leadership abilities quickly became apparent as she advanced within PRIDE Industries. After five years as a Job Coach she became a Rehabilitation Services Supervisor, where she introduced innovative documentation processes that saved job coaches valuable time and allowed them to focus more on support for individuals with disabilities. These efficiencies reduced program costs, increased referrals, and expanded PRIDE Industries’ reach.

“Tameka likes to think outside the box,” says Diana Erickson, her former supervisor. “Under her leadership, documentation became more robust, yet less time-consuming. And, to top it all off, she’s a great mentor to job coaches.”

After just a couple of years, and with a newly obtained business degree, Tameka stepped into her next role—HR Disability Case Manager.  In this new role, she continued to develop her expertise in disability employment, managing accommodations and service provisions to fuel the mission of PRIDE Industries internally, and finding ways to increase overall inclusion. Tameka was able to leverage her relationships and professional community partnerships to increase the direct hiring of people with disabilities, implement efficient accommodation management techniques, and create long-term employment opportunities on commercial contracts across the Northern California region.

Job Coach to Director

Today, Tameka serves as PRIDE Industries’ Director of Rehabilitation for Commercial Contracts, overseeing a team of vocational rehabilitation counselors and job coaches. She has drawn upon her years as a job coach, supervisor and HR disability case manager, to enhance collaboration across departments, improve service delivery, and continue to help people with disabilities find and retain employment.

Her work doesn’t stop there. As the founding chair of People of Possibilities (POP), PRIDE Industries’ Employee Resource Group (ERG) for people with diverse abilities, she ensures that employees with disabilities have a voice within the company. 

“Knowing our voices belong, moves us to overcome challenges and realize the possibilities of what we can achieve,” says Tameka.

Outside of work, she is a certified sickle cell health educator and an active advocate within the rare disease community, volunteering her time as a mentor and legislative advocate.

Her leadership and passion have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, Careers & the disABLED Magazine recognized Tameka as Employee of the Year, a testament to her 20-plus years of advocating for people with disabilities.

Tameka believes in paying it forward. “People with disabilities can support our own community,” she says. “When hiring, I ask myself: ‘Who has an inherent passion for what we do and the drive to make a difference?’”

Her answer is clear: those who, like her, are committed to making the world more inclusive, one opportunity at a time.

Door to Cybersecurity Jobs Opens for Person with Cauda Equina Syndrome

The road to a cybersecurity job was not a smooth one for Robert Coats.

“I wasn’t expecting special treatment. I just wanted a chance to prove myself and show that I am like everyone else. I was just in an unfortunate accident.”

In September of 2016, Robert’s life changed in an instant. While riding his motorcycle, he was struck by another vehicle.

“I was leaving work when a car turned left into me and ran over the whole right side of my body,” Robert said.

“I suffered wrist, foot, and rib fractures. I had two collapsed lungs and a cut in my liver. My lower L5 disk was cracked and later ruptured.”

Complications from Robert’s injuries led to a chronic condition known as Cauda Equina Syndrome. This condition causes significant mobility and health challenges due to the compression of nerves at the end of the spinal cord. However, despite the physical hurdles, he was determined to rebuild his life so that he could provide for his children.

Not an Easy Road to Cybersecurity Jobs

The road to finding stable employment was a difficult one. Robert knew that returning to his previous job as a vending machine supplier would not be possible as it was physically demanding. He quickly found that his disability and unemployment benefits were insufficient to cover both his medical treatment and the basic needs of his family. The financial strain was immense, but he refused to give up.

“My kids meant way more to me than just sitting around. I knew I had to find work.”

Robert began applying for entry-level positions that would allow him to work from home. He focused his job search on companies that promoted hiring people with disabilities, hoping that these organizations might offer him a better chance of securing an interview.

“I kept getting the feeling that they were just saying they hire people with disabilities. I felt like they didn’t really mean it in their hearts, and it was just a way to make them look good.”

But despite his efforts, he struggled to find meaningful work. Robert decided he needed to make himself a more competitive candidate.

“I studied for the CompTIA Plus and Security+ certifications because I wanted to get into cybersecurity,” he said. “I had years of experience working with computers, and I’d heard it was a good career path.” After passing both certification exams, he continued applying for remote cybersecurity jobs, advertised towards people with disabilities, with no success.

Making Employment Possible

Just when he was beginning to lose hope, Robert found an opportunity to connect with an employer who truly believed in his potential.

His case worker at the Department of Rehabilitation suggested that he attend a cybersecurity event for people with disabilities. At first, he was hesitant.

“I wasn’t going to go at first,” Robert admitted. “I was tired of all of this. I’d been putting in resumes everywhere, and I felt like my disability didn’t help.”

But he refused to give up. “My kids just popped into my head, and I thought, I have to go for them,” he said. “So, I went. And I made a big scene while they were asking questions.”

At the event, Robert shared his job-hunting frustrations. “I got up and said, ‘You guys say it’s easy to get cybersecurity jobs, and that couldn’t be further from the truth for me.’ I felt like I had to say something about my experience.”

His words were heard by the right person. Alan McMillan, Chief Information Officer of PRIDE Industries, approached him after his comments, and this meeting marked a turning point.

Soon after, Robert landed a paid internship with PRIDE Industries that allowed him to utilize his skills, work ethic, and dedication. The internship gave Robert 250 hours of on-the-job training, enabling him to learn the ins and outs of cybersecurity jobs and setting him on a path to employment. More importantly, this new job gave Robert the confidence and support he needed to succeed.

A New Chapter: Looking Ahead at a Career in Cybersecurity

Today, Robert continues to pursue his passion for cybersecurity with the help and guidance of PRIDE Industries. The challenges he faced on his road to employment have only strengthened his resolve, and with his new career on the horizon, Robert is proof that with determination and the right support, meaningful employment is possible.

He now has a permanent position in PRIDE Industries’ IT department as an Associate Security Engineer, and has a goal of advancing his career, specifically in cybersecurity jobs that allow him to further hone his skills and contribute to the field.

“I feel strongly about PRIDE Industries giving me a chance and I am determined to give my best. I’m going to try and stay here and work as long as I possibly can.”

Can a person who is deaf and blind excel as a cleaning professional? 

Yes.

“We need 10 Beths!”

That’s what Trent Thomas, a custodial supervisor for the Little Rock Arkansas Federal Building, said when asked about the work of his top employee, Elizabeth “Beth” Cole-Pope.

Cole-Pope is both deaf and blind.  

“I was born deaf and was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome when I was 15 and started losing my vision at age 25,” she said. Throughout her life, Cole-Pope has been determined to be independent. She earned a college degree and set out to join the workforce.

But Beth quickly discovered a hard employment reality faced by many individuals who are both deaf and blind. According to the National Deaf Center, only 38% of deafblind people are employed. Stigmas, biases, and other barriers often stand in the way of qualified job candidates who happen to have a disability.

“I searched and searched for a job for a very long time,” Cole-Pope said. “After I got a college degree, I still searched for the right job, but I couldn’t find it,” she said. 

Ashley Beatty, Cole-Pope’s employment specialist and interpreter, witnessed these obstacles firsthand.

“I watched the barriers that we would face,” she said. “As the employment specialist, I would go everywhere and ask if they would even just interview her. It was so hard to convince people to let us even come in, because when you start using the words ‘deaf’ and ‘blind,’ people get super scared.

Navigating the Path to Meaningful Employment While Deaf and Blind

Fortunately, change was on the horizon for Cole-Pope. After relocating to Arkansas, a vocational rehabilitation counselor connected her with PRIDE Industries. PRIDE Industries was awarded a contract to clean the Little Rock Federal Building through SourceAmerica and the AbilityOne® Program, organizations dedicated to delivering high-quality products and services to federal agencies while supporting quality employment for people with disabilities.

PRIDE Industries hired Cole-Pope as a janitor on the contract.

To ease her transition into the new role, Cole-Pope worked with an employment coach who specialized in American Sign Language (ASL). The coach helped her navigate the workspace, meet employer expectations, and communicate with colleagues, most of whom did not know ASL.

As Cole-Pope pointed out, resources like coaches give people with disabilities the tools they need to find and thrive in employment.

“The job coach also knows sign language and so that’s very helpful and they can help me do my job better and I can be more familiar with the area and work with my team better,” she said.

Beth Cole-Pope tells her employment story

Inclusive Hiring Leads to Innovation

Since Cole-Pope is both deaf and blind, many conventional cleaning methods do not work for her. Cole-Pope has learned to adapt her own method of cleaning that relies entirely on touch, feeling her way around the rooms and surfaces she needs to clean.

“I watch her work, and her method is amazing,” Trent Thomas said. “We’ve actually started using her methods to train other people on the way she cleans everything she touches.”

Diverse hiring practices have long proven to lead to innovations in the workplace. It’s something that Beatty has seen play out in her role as an interpreter. “The only thing that I’ve ever heard from people who have hired blind individuals, deaf individuals, or deafblind individuals is that they wish there were more employees just like them.”

Breaking Down Barriers

Despite facing challenges in her job search, Cole-Pope was able to find a career that brings her pride and a sense of purpose. Her story demonstrates the potential of employees with disabilities.

“I know that there are many deafblind people out in the world, and I don’t know if they’re happy with their lives or happy at their jobs,” Cole-Pope said. “But I know that I’m deaf and blind, and I’m so happy working here.” 

Through PRIDE Industries, she has found the independence she was looking for. And by modeling new cleaning techniques, she has made a positive impact in her workplace. That impact was recognized by the state when Arkansas Rehabilitation Services (ARS) honored her during their National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2024 kick-off celebration in October.

 “I want people to know that people who are deaf and blind can do things,” she said. “Just break those barriers down and just let us in. Let us work.”

“For 55 years, PRIDE Industries has provided business excellence with a social impact,” says Jeff Dern, President & Chief Executive Officer, of this pioneering social enterprise. “We provide competitive business services while pursuing our mission to create employment for people with disabilities.”

 

At the heart of PRIDE Industries’ 6,000 team members are 3,100 with disclosed disabilities. With National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) in October, the company is launching a helpline and an awareness campaign to pursue their goal of creating 100,000 jobs for people with disabilities.

 

“Annually in October, the Department of Labor promotes NDEAM to educate the public about disability employment issues and to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities. At PRIDE Industries, we take that concept even further,” says Leah Burdick, Chief Growth Officer. “Through print and online media, we strive to recognize our business partners for hiring people with disabilities or supporting an inclusive workforce.”

“NDEAM is important to us because one of our goals is to normalize workplace inclusion.”
– Jeff Dern, PRIDE Industries President & Chief Executive Officer

PRIDE Industries has launched the most comprehensive helpline of its kind. By dialing 844-I-AM-ABLE, people with disabilities can connect to helpful resources, job training, and employment opportunities. This helpline will be heavily promoted in California during NDEAM, with plans to expand nationally.

 

PRIDE Industries has created employment for thousands of people in jobs throughout this region over decades and encourages all employers to inspire other companies to include people with disabilities in their workplaces. “NDEAM is important to us because one of our goals is to normalize workplace inclusion,” explains Dern. “We do that all year, but this month is devoted to educate employers on why they should include people with disabilities when hiring.”

 

PRIDE Industries will continue its constant efforts to promote the employment and inclusion of people with disabilities, proving every day that their model for business excellence has a place for all abilities.

This article was originally published in Comstock’s Magazine in October 2021.

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Contact our I AM ABLE Helpline to discuss your options.
Media Contact
Kat Maudru

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.

The social enterprise has been recognized for recruiting, hiring, and retaining veterans.

Roseville, Calif., (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — U.S. Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh recognized PRIDE Industries as the recipient of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Gold Award during a Veterans Day virtual ceremony presented by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Medallion Program is the only federal award that recognizes employers who successfully recruit, hire, and retain veterans. It was made possible by the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing American Military Veterans Act (HIRE Vets Act), which was passed by Congress in 2017.

 

“PRIDE Industries is honored to be recognized as a U.S. Department of Labor HIRE Vets Medallion Gold Award recipient,” said Jeff Dern, President and CEO of PRIDE Industries. “We continue to strengthen our longstanding relationship with veterans, Wounded Warriors, and our many veteran referral partners. This award further validates our unwavering commitment to employing and assisting the men and women who have so bravely served our country.”

 

PRIDE Industries joins companies from 49 states, plus the District of Columbia, who have shown a commitment to hiring veterans and ensuring they have a long-term career plan that allows them to leverage the diverse skills they acquired through their military service. Recipients of the 2021 HIRE Vets Medallion Award meet rigorous employment and veteran integration assistance criteria. Companies are judged by their veteran hiring and retention percentages, veteran-specific resources, leadership programming for veterans, dedicated human resource efforts, and pay compensation and tuition assistance programs for veterans.

 

PRIDE Industries recognizes that the experience veterans gain serving our country makes them valuable employees. The company provides job readiness, coaching, and employment placement assistance to hundreds of military veterans every year. Its many resources for veterans include a new I-AM-ABLE employment helpline [(844) 426-2253], a dedicated Veterans Liaison, and a Military Skills Translator tool that helps veterans match their skills and talent to a civilian career. In addition, PRIDE Industries can help veterans access paid internships, as well as mentoring and training programs. And to help other companies increase their hiring of diverse candidates, including veterans, last year the company launched its Inclusive Talent Solutions service.

 

“Veterans represent one of our nation’s richest talent groups, and this award really belongs to them,” said Dern. “These dedicated men and women not only volunteered to serve our country, but now continue to contribute by working in the civilian sector of our economy.

About PRIDE Industries

PRIDE Industries delivers business excellence with a positive social impact. A social enterprise, we provide facilities operations and maintenance services, custodial services, contract manufacturing, supply chain management, packaging and fulfillment services, and staffing and recruitment services to private and public organizations nationwide. Founded in 1966, PRIDE Industries’ mission is to create employment for people with disabilities. Through personalized employment services, we help individuals realize their true potential and lead more independent lives. PRIDE Industries proves the value of its inclusive workforce model through operational success across multiple industries every day. Learn more at https://PRIDEIndustries.com.

About the HIRE Vets Medallion Program

The HIRE Vets Medallion Award is earned by businesses that demonstrate unparalleled commitment toattracting, hiring, and retaining veterans. The 2022 HIRE Vets Medallion Award application period will open to employers on Jan. 31, 2022. For more information about the program and the application process, visit HIREVets.gov.

Are you a veteran?

Contact our Veterans Employment Advantage Program for support.
Media Contact
Kat Maudru

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.

Casino Hits Jackpot when PRIDE Industries Outperforms Previous Provider

Thunder Valley Casino Resort is a AAA Four-Diamond premier destination resort in Lincoln, California. This world-class facility hosts a 17-story luxury hotel with 408 rooms and 46 suites, as well as a large banquet and entertainment hall, meeting rooms, bars, a pool, a full-service spa, and a gift shop.

Situation

As the region’s premier luxury hotel and casino, Thunder Valley hosts 3.1 million guests annually. With this high number of guests comes an equally high volume of laundry, and the resort was sending it to a cleaning facility 90 miles away in Napa. In 2019, Thunder Valley built an in-house facility to improve quality control and eliminate shipping time and costs. The next step was to hire a company that could reliably handle a high work volume and effectively supplement its workforce.

Solution

The new 6,000-square-foot in-house laundry facility would handle 1,000 pounds of laundry each hour, and the casino needed a reliable workforce. Thunder Valley turned to PRIDE Industries’ staffing services to hire multiple work teams of three people with developmental disabilities and one employment coach, overall 30 employees, 23 with a disability, to staff its laundry facilities.

Services Provided

  • In-house daily laundry services
  • 30 employees, 23 with a disability
  • Recruiting

Results

  • >10K pounds of laundry cleaned per day
  • 6K pounds volume increase over the previous service provider
  • Reduced environmental footprint due to the elimination of shipping laundry offsite
  • Skilled and reliable employees with low turnover
  • An increased appreciation for a diverse and inclusive workforce
Thunder Valley logo

Highlights

6,000 sq. ft.

in-house laundry facility

>10,000

pounds of laundry cleaned per day

23

employees with a documented disability

“PRIDE’s partnership and commitment help us achieve our goals with quality results while providing opportunities and training for people with disabilities in the community.”